Southcentral

Kodiak's only bid to replace a key sewage station came in at twice the estimate

The only bid to replace the pump station handling 80% of Kodiak's sewage came in at $16.3 million — more than double the city's estimate of $7.2 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 10

A builder across from a Soldotna school pushed its snow into the street

A builder across from a Soldotna elementary school left no room for snow, so it went into the street. The city says snow storage is required.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 9

Coast Guard awards $315 million for Kodiak fuel pier, and comment on the review closes Sept. 16

The Coast Guard has awarded $315 million to Tutor Perini for a new fuel pier and major cutter mooring at Base Kodiak, competed with four offers and running to 2030. The draft environmental review of the project, including demolition of the existing pier, takes public comment only through Sept. 16.

by Alaska News2mo ago2 min read

Anchorage police report eighth officer-involved shooting of 2026 in two sentences

An Anchorage officer was in a shooting on East 37th Avenue, and the department's entire account is two sentences that don't say whether anyone was hit.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Comment closes Monday on giving 20,000 Houston-area acres to AIDEA

Alaskans have until 5 p.m. Monday to comment on giving 20,000 acres north of Houston to a state agency for free — and only those who comment can appeal.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

A Seattle union gave its Alaska committee $500,000. It's spent $8,000 of it in cash.

A Seattle union gave its Alaska committee $500,000 to back Kreiss-Tomkins and six House candidates — and it's spent just $8,000 of it in cash.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

State to drop Whittier voter misconduct cases after appeals ruling

The form had no box for what Tupe Smith is. Whittier officials told her to check citizen. The state charged her with felonies and is now dropping them.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

The Kenai Borough Assembly president wants three votes to carry the assembly

The Kenai Borough Assembly president wants three votes to carry the assembly instead of five. Two of nine members were appointed on his motions.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

Follows: Kenai Peninsula assembly president proposes rewrite of rules for filling assembly vacancies

Dunleavy proclaims Sept. 13-19 Suicide Prevention Week in Alaska

Alaska has marked this week for suicide prevention. The message is simple: if you are worried about someone, ask them directly, and stay with them.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Mayor's substitute puts Anchorage's surveillance network before the Assembly Tuesday

Anchorage assembled cameras, drones, plate readers and commercial-data tools before writing enforceable rules for how police may use them.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago9 min readFrom Sep 9

Koniag subsidiaries now staff federal offices in Virginia and Oklahoma

Koniag subsidiaries are staffing federal back offices in Virginia and Oklahoma, including the office that processes Native patients' outside medical bills.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Landmine publisher takes copyright-strike complaint against APD to Assembly Tuesday

Alaska Landmine publisher Jeff Landfield asked the Anchorage Assembly to address an APD copyright strike that temporarily removed a video critical of Police Chief Sean Case from Facebook.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 7

Parents warn Mat-Su that cutting school nurses puts children at risk

Parents and staff told the Mat-Su school board that cutting nurses puts children at risk, as a Teeland Middle School nurse prepares to leave.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Aug 26

MEA is holding $451,000 in refunds for members it can't find

Matanuska Electric is sitting on more than $451,000 it owes members it can't find — one of them is owed about $15,000. Checking takes a phone call.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 1

Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to vote on snow contract that drew a single bid

Only one contractor bid on Kodiak's snow removal after the school district opted to plow its own lots — a setup one assembly member calls "ridiculous."

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Eight Unalaska roofs have failed, including the high school and water plant

Eight Unalaska roofs have failed or are failing, including the high school and the water plant. Fixing all 27 city roofs starts at $22 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 8

Troopers seize 4.5 ounces of suspected heroin after Sterling traffic stop

Troopers say they found 4.5 ounces of suspected heroin and two guns in a truck near Sterling, charging the driver with six counts. He's presumed innocent.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Soldotna man arrested on DUI and weapons charges after Ninilchik traffic stop

A Soldotna man was arrested after Alaska State Troopers found his green SUV near Ninilchik following REDDI calls and watched it speeding and swerving on the Sterling Highway.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Three Mat-Su school roofs are failing, and the money may take years

Three Mat-Su school roofs are failing, and fixing them may take more than one budget cycle. The district's deferred repair backlog stands at $411 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Aug 26

Seward would allow rainwater catchment in new subdivisions, but only by waiver

Seward would allow rainwater catchment in new subdivisions only by waiver. A commissioner who wanted it struck called it a dry cabin at in-town prices.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 1

Soldotna planning director drafts code change to replace court citations with civil fines

Soldotna's planning director is drafting a code change to replace court citations for unpermitted rentals with staff-issued civil fines, which could speed enforcement.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 2

Kodiak council moves toward leasing historic Griffin building to two museums

Kodiak City Council rejected a church's bid to buy the historic Griffin building and will instead lease it to two museums for storage and exhibits, though lease terms remain unsigned.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 8

Wasilla's parks commission backs a ball field expansion with no money behind it

Wasilla's parks commission endorsed a softball field expansion with no money behind it. The commissioner who moved to support it represents the softball league.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 9

A new Wasilla group spent $43,000 on six House candidates with D.C. money

A Wasilla group registered Sept. 1, took $250,000 from a national Republican committee Sept. 9, and spent $43,000 on six House candidates Sept. 10.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Assembly members seek equal vote on joint school rightsizing panel

Three Anchorage Assembly members want a real vote on how the city closes schools, not the non-voting seat the School Board offered, as consolidation looms.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Anchorage commission weighs 12.5 acres of heavy-industrial rezoning

Anchorage's planning commission will consider recommending that the Assembly rezone 12.5 acres to heavy industrial.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

In Kodiak, Sullivan and Peltola agreed on the problems and fought over the fix

Sullivan and Peltola agreed on nearly every fisheries problem in Kodiak and split on what fixing one looks like: laws passed, or fish in the river.

by Alaska News2mo ago3 min read

The hockey association runs Anchorage's city rinks now, for $10 a year

The hockey association took over Anchorage's two city rinks in June for $10 a year. The old operator owed $360,000. The first big repair bill is Tuesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

The Port of Alaska's terminal design contract is up 50 percent and rising again

The Port of Alaska's Terminal 1 design contract is up 50 percent from 2023. Every year I got to come back for more, the port director says.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Downtown Wasilla would go one-way under an $83 million state program

Downtown Wasilla would go one-way under an $83 million state program. The construction contract is estimated at $50 million to $60 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Southwest Alaska carried most of the state's tuberculosis cases last year

Southwest Alaska, with about 5% of the state's population, had 46 of Alaska's 77 tuberculosis cases last year — roughly nineteen times Anchorage's rate.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 9

An Anchorage officer killed a woman downtown, by the department's account

An Anchorage officer shot and killed a woman at a downtown apartment Aug. 18. The account comes almost entirely from the police chief.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Aug 18

Sacred Acre electronic music festival runs through Sunday in Ninilchik

Sacred Acre, an electronic music festival in Ninilchik produced by Cosmic Ayre Productions, runs through Sunday, Sept. 13. Three-day general-admission tickets were listed at $215 plus taxes and fees, with shuttle service available from Anchorage. The festival's website publishes no lineup for this year.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Fairbanks would require union labor agreements on big borough projects

Fairbanks wants union-negotiated labor agreements on borough projects over $3.5 million, using an ordinance copied almost word for word from Anchorage.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Pilot uninjured after plane flips during off-airport landing in Caribou Hills

A pilot walked away uninjured after flipping his plane during an off-airport landing in the Caribou Hills, and was flown back to Soldotna by helicopter.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Troopers arrest Gakona woman on felony meth charges after Glennallen stop

Alaska State Troopers arrested Yahneenah Sinyon of Gakona on felony methamphetamine charges after a Glenn Highway stop on July 22 turned up roughly 73 grams of meth and over $1,000 in cash.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Anchorage grant would keep HIV testing and outreach going through 2027

A $114,470 state grant on the Anchorage Assembly's agenda would keep the city's offsite HIV education, counseling and testing running through June 2027.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Anchorage's Assembly voted to review fewer contracts. August shows what that means

Anchorage's Assembly voted last year to stop reviewing most city contracts. August shows what that means: 24 awards, a $450,000 paving job among them, no votes.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Anchorage owns an aging arts center, and repairs keep outpacing the budget

A heating repair at Anchorage's city-owned performing arts center is running 71 percent over the budget the Assembly set for it back in May.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

An inspector cited Anchorage's ice rinks for safety valves a decade old

Safety valves at Anchorage's two city ice rinks were due for replacement five years ago. An inspector noticed. The fix is inside a $936,000 repair bill.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read